Bracing-garment.



PATENTED DEG. 25, 1906.

L. CRUMBLY.

BRAGING GARMENT.

LIIPLIOATION FILED APII.21,1905.

iF/2;??? wf LULA ORUMBLY, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

BRAClNG-GARNIENT.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application led AprilZl, 1905. Serial No. 256.791.

To (all zul/Loin zit ncty concern:

Be it known that I, LULA CRUMBLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort wforth, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bracing-Garments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to garments, and more particularly to a garment which somewhat resembles a corset, but having the functions of a body-brace; and the object is to produce a garment which will permit easy movement and carrying of the body and yet preserve the form of the body.

This garment is intended for the many thousands of weinen who are suffering from female weakness, particularly for women who are employed in factories and stores where they have to stand on their feet from morn ing till night, for those who have to labor at the wash-tub and ironing-table, for those who have to attend to household duties, and for those engaged in manyother occupations who are afflicted with excruciating pains, heaviness in the loins, and despondent tiredout feeling, caused by pressure of the abdominal parts on the pelvis and the womb. T have provided a kind of a substitute for a corset, but which has none of the bad effects of the corset.

This garment will serve as a support for the bust, and will maintain the form of the bust without pressing on the abdomen, and will support or brace the lower part of the abdomen, and thus relieve the pressure of the abdomen on the womb and on the pelvis. Other objects and advantages will be fully understood from the following description, andthe invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claim.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application and specification:

Figure l is a perspective view of the garment as applied to a woman. Fig. 2 is an interior view of the garment in detail. Fig.

3 is a broken view of the garment, showing the manner of fastening the abdominal braces.,

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

This garment is provided with stays only in the back part. The parallel dotted lines in the back indicate stitches which. sew the parts of the cloth together between the stays. The back of the garment is gored at a to provide for expansion of persons having large hips. The bust portions b have no stays, such as corset have, but these portions are provided with some stifl'ening material, and made to conform to the contour of the bust, these parts being concave in Fig. 2. The bust portions terminate just below the pit of the stomach, substantially at the waisteline. The abdominal portions c are attached to the bust portions l) and to the back portions d. The garment is preferably open in front and provided with hooks g and eyes h for fastening devices. The parts c are also made to conform to the rotundity of the body, being concave, as shown in Fig. 2. The abdominal braces i and j are attached to the lower part of the garment and extend substantially from the back portion d and lap at the front, as shown in Fig. 3. These braces may have hooks g to engage eyes 7L on the brace The braces are adjustably fastened together by straps 7c, which carry buckles m, whichengage the straps n on the brace The abdominal portions c may be made of suitable cloth and must be Without stays or stiffening material. The usual shoulder-straps e are provided.

The garment above described has no stays to press down the abdomen and nothing about the waist to prevent freedom of movement of the body; but the bust portions are adapted to preserve the form, and the back portion will brace the body, and the shoulder-straps will hold the garment up, so that the pressure of the abdomen on the womb and pelvis is relieved. It is thus seen that a garment is provided which is adapted for women who work and also for women who are enceinte. This garment will take the place of a corset and preserve the form of the bust and other portions of the body, and yet permit freedom of movement of the body, so that a person can work without being tired-out by such a garment as a corset.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A garment having a back portion provided with stays extending to the bottom of the IOO garment, bust portions provided with stilen- In testimony whereof I set myha'nd, in the ing;I material terminating at the Waist-line, presence of two Witnesses, this 3d day of and abdomen portions connected to the 'bust April, 1905. portions and enveloping the abdomen and 5 Connected to the sides of said back portion, Witnesses:

the abdomen portions beingl of pliable mate- A. L. JACKSON, rial and adapted to support the abdomen. J. W'. STITT.

LULA CRUMBLY. 

